“Very well.” Meeting Qiao Mu’s gaze, Feng Jiu’er gave a nod. “Since you’re feeling generous today, put out a little silver and treat Jian Yi and his friends to a proper meal.”
“As for the clothes — don’t worry about that. Lady Ye already said the bill goes to the Ninth Prince’s manor. Why stand on ceremony?”
“She… that person really said that?” Xiao Yingtao looked at Feng Jiu’er and asked in a low voice.
“She did.” Feng Jiu’er nodded. “So, no holding back — pick whatever you want.”
She wasn’t sure whether it was because of Mu Mu’s words — “this is what you deserve” — but Feng Jiu’er had genuinely stopped wanting to be modest about it.
Besides, Ninth Imperial Uncle was so wealthy, and they came and went through the same gate as him. They really couldn’t do anything that might embarrass him.
“Since Feng Jiu’er puts it that way, I won’t hold back either.” Xiao Yingtao gave a nod and stepped past Feng Jiu’er to look at Qiao Mu. “Miss Qiao, hurry up and choose.”
“Whether you know about it or not doesn’t matter — what matters most is that it’s free. There’s no reason not to take what’s being offered.”
In any other situation, Xiao Yingtao might not have been so brazen. But the one who had spoken those words was Ye Luosha — and Xiao Yingtao would have liked nothing more than to drain every last coin from that woman, after she had nearly cost Feng Jiu’er her life.
That said, a few sets of clothing hardly made a dent in Ye Luosha’s wealth.
“I genuinely don’t know about these things — in the past, my parents always handled everything for me. How would I possibly know?” Qiao Mu said, not entirely without reason.
Hearing this rather irrefutable argument, Feng Jiu’er rolled her eyes.
“Stop dithering. Just tell us what colors you like and we’ll make suggestions. Isn’t that enough?”
“That works.” Qiao Mu curved her lips into a smile. “I was just waiting for you to say that.”
“Hurry up — once we choose, they still need to be made. If they’re not done before tonight, what are we going to wear for the New Year?” Xiao Yingtao was starting to feel anxious.
“Right — what are we going to wear for the New Year?” Feng Jiu’er repeated Xiao Yingtao’s words with a smile.
The tailor had made a promise in front of Ye Luosha that everything would be completed today, so Feng Jiu’er wasn’t worried. If one craftsman couldn’t manage, bring five. If five weren’t enough, bring ten. Either way, the shop had the confidence to see it through, so what was there for her to fret about?
“What do I like?” Qiao Mu now began selecting fabric in earnest. “Let me look — I’ll tell you once I find something I like.”
“Why don’t we pick our own favorites first, and leave Ninth Prince’s, Jian Yi’s, and Mu Mu’s for a little later?” Xiao Yingtao suggested. “Their requirements aren’t exactly high anyway — Feng Jiu’er, what do you think?”
Feng Jiu’er glanced sideways and gave a nod. “That works. Let’s pick our own first.”
Though, she thought, saying Jian Yi’s requirements weren’t high was fair enough, and Mu Mu could reasonably be called easy to please too — but claiming Ninth Imperial Uncle had low standards was simply impossible to defend, no matter how you put it.
Xiao Yingtao didn’t give that much thought. Men’s clothing was men’s clothing — how different could it be? Moreover, in her mind, the three men they were discussing all tended to dress in plain, understated styles, so she instinctively assumed none of them would be particular.
Before long, Xiao Yingtao had found two bolts for herself, and one for Qiao Mu.
Qiao Mu found another bolt on her own. When the shop assistant mentioned that two outfits with different cuts could be made from those bolts, she decided that would be quite enough.
Feng Jiu’er, on the other hand, didn’t rush to choose for herself. Instead, she searched out several bolts for Jian Yi first, then found some for Mu Mu as well.
Zhao Xiaoxiao helped herself freely to several bolts, offered one or two suggestions for her elder brother, and then moved on to gathering additional materials for her own outfits.
Perhaps by special arrangement, the shop now held only Feng Jiu’er and her companions along with the shop staff — no other customers had been admitted. And yet even so, the assistants were run off their feet.
The shop was filled with the voices of the women and the shop staff, lively and bustling.
After what felt like an age of work, once Jian Yi’s and Mu Mu’s outfits had finally been settled, the shop owner appeared with several tailors in tow, and some of them carried bolts of fabric away to begin the work at once.
After that busy round, it was finally her own turn — and Feng Jiu’er didn’t linger over herself for long.
She still had her Ninth Imperial Uncle’s outfit to sort out. How could she afford to waste time?
“Xiao Yingtao, keep an eye on things here — Qiao Mu, help look too, in case anything gets missed. I need to figure out how to put together Ninth Imperial Uncle’s outfit.”
With that, she turned and made her way toward the section displaying the most expensive fabrics.
Qiao Mu exchanged a few words with the shop assistants, then turned to look at her.
“There’s nothing complicated about Ninth Prince’s clothes — everything he wears is either black or grey. As long as the material is fine enough, that’s all that matters.”
Qiao Mu was stating the plain truth, and Feng Jiu’er knew it.
But while she had been choosing her own outfit just now, a new idea had taken shape in her mind. Feng Jiu’er wanted to prepare something truly distinctive for Ninth Imperial Uncle.
For the New Year, everyone ought to present a fresh side of themselves. It was time for Ninth Imperial Uncle to change things up a little too.
Picturing the design she had in mind, Feng Jiu’er pointed to several bolts of fabric.
The shop owner hurried over at once, marking the bolts she had indicated.
They spent a full hour going back and forth inside the fabric shop.
For the women, the time passed in the blink of an eye.
Xing Zizhou was no exception — he stood at times, sat at others, but his gaze scarcely left Xiao Yingtao. The moment she needed any help, he was always the first to appear by her side.
Zhao Yusheng had long since settled himself in a corner, pulled out a book, and begun reading, shutting out all the noise and bustle of the shop entirely.
An hour later, the two men from upstairs were called back down.
Everyone left the fabric shop together.
The shop owner and several assistants and tailors all came out to see them off.
“General Mu, Miss Feng Jiu’er, please travel safely. The clothes will certainly be delivered to the manor on time.” The shop owner smiled warmly and waved them off.
Feng Jiu’er gave a nod, turned, and pushed Jian Yi’s wheelchair forward.
She lifted her gaze to the sky for a moment, then rubbed her now-settled stomach.
“Listen up, everyone — Miss Qiao is buying lunch today. Feel free to pick somewhere good. Let’s have a meal that’s expensive but doesn’t fill us up.”
“If it doesn’t fill us up, what’s the point of eating?” Jian Yi gave a faint curve of his lips and asked quietly.
Feng Jiu’er gave his shoulder a light pat, the corners of her mouth lifting.
“Dear Hero Jian Yi, you simply don’t understand — once life gets good, you can’t just think about filling your belly. Do you understand?”
“Never mind everything else — abalone, sea cucumber, shark’s fin, fish maw, bird’s nest… I absolutely cannot miss any of those today.”
“And anyway, our Miss Qiao has been saving up for years — one meal is hardly a big deal, is it?”
Glancing back at Qiao Mu, Feng Jiu’er gave her shoulder a light pat.
“I don’t mind at all — but if the Ninth Princess Consort wants to eat, she has to eat the very best.”
Before Feng Jiu’er could reply, Qiao Mu turned to Xiao Yingtao and said, “Xiao Yingtao, remember this — go back and tell Ninth Prince what I said today.”
“Who knows, Ninth Prince might be so pleased he gives me a reward, and the cost of this meal will come right back.”
“Who’s your Ninth Princess Consort? Stop talking nonsense!” Feng Jiu’er gave a cold snort.
“There’s only one Ninth Prince — of course you’d be his Ninth Princess Consort. How could it possibly be me?” Qiao Mu raised an eyebrow.
“As you command!” Xiao Yingtao laughed with delight.
The women chattered and joked among themselves — unaware that Mu Mu’s mood had already shifted entirely.